


Now or Never: Recovery

by taibhrigh



Series: Now or Never [2]
Category: Stargate - All Series, The Losers, The Losers (2010)
Genre: Crossover, Fix-It, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-22
Updated: 2010-11-22
Packaged: 2017-10-13 08:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/134984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taibhrigh/pseuds/taibhrigh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a sequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/131489"><em>Now or Never</em></a> and picks up about where it left off.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Now or Never: Recovery

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [kayim](http://archiveofourown.org/users/kayim) and [siluria](http://archiveofourown.org/users/siluria) for the beta.

The first thing Cougar heard when he woke were noises he associated with hospitals--the quiet beeping and whirring of ventilators and machines. His sense of smell confirmed what his hearing was telling him and he slowly tried to open his eyes. The lights were bright but he was quite sure he wasn't in heaven or hell.

It hadn't been a dream. What had Jensen done?

When he finally got his eyes opened and mostly focused he found himself on a bed in a hospital--no, more like a ship's med bay, like he'd never seen before. He'd also opened them just in time to see Jensen getting reprimanded by a nurse. Some things obviously didn't change no matter where they were.

"Get back in the bed Mr. Jensen or I will have a Marine come sit on you."

"MP," Jensen responded, trying to dodge around the nurse.

"I'm pretty sure he's a Marine," the nurse responded, calmly. "If you don't get back in bed your next shot will not be through the IV."

Cougar saw Jensen pause. Nurses could be a scary bunch.

"Corporal get back in the bed for the nice nurse." Cougar's eyes flicked to an older man now standing a few feet away; the same man he'd seen after the flash of light.

"But," Jensen tried to argue.

"If Alvarez wakes up I'm sure the nurses will let you know. And for the record, if a member of the med staff asks you if you are injured the right answer is 'yes, I've been shot' not to run off at the mouth and pass out on the floor."

Jensen walked backwards to his bed and hopped up on it; legs swinging like a little kid. "In my defense, General," he said, mulishly, "I didn't know I'd been shot."

Cougar saw the general shake his head and was almost positive there was an eye roll too. He wondered just how long they had been wherever they were. "Right," the general said, drawing out the word.

Cougar took that as a cue and tried to sit up. "'M aw-spierto," he said quietly and even to his own ears that didn't sound right so he tried again. "'M awake." Better, all in English. And the nurse that had been threatening Jensen was instantly there fixing his bed and pillows so he could sit up before moving to check his vitals.

"Cougs!" And Jensen was trying to get off the bed.

"Stay," the general pointed at Jensen, but had turned to look at Cougar. Smiling where only Cougar could see he continued to talk to Jensen. "If you are a good little computer tech maybe the nice nurse here will let you visit with your friend."

Cougar grinned for a second before looking over at Jensen and giving his friend a small nod. Jensen seemed to take that as the sign that Cougar was okay and relaxed.

"General Jack O'Neill," the general announced. "You've been here two days and I'm just betting you want to know where here really is?"

Cougar nodded while the nurse was shining a light in his eyes.

"We're on a spaceship!" Jensen shouted happily from his bed, before adding in a sad voice, "But it belongs to the Air Force."

This time Cougar could see the general roll his eyes. "Technically, recently departed Corporal Jacob Jensen, it belongs to Stargate Command. But sure, the Air Force beat the Army into building spaceships."

"That, I, well...fine." Jensen crossed his arms and pouted and Cougar chuckled softly.

"You are onboard the USS Apollo and Jake is right, it's a spaceship." The general smiled. "That still tickles me. You could say Jake once helped us with something and we were in the right place at the right time to return the favor. But I checked you out Carlos Alvarez, we tried recruiting you. You never returned our phone calls." The general waved the comment off before Cougar could say anything and continued, "We're part of a program..."

"Why didn't you say, yes, Cougs?" Jensen asked and he was suddenly standing by his bed. "I would have come with you. Spaceships, man. And you should see their tech; it's like a toy store. And...what?"

"You really can't stay put, can you?" General O'Neill asked.

"No," Cougar responded and pointed to the stool next to his bed. "Sit."

Jensen sat.

A look came over O'Neill's face and Cougar got this feeling that the man at one time had been more than just a paper-pushing general. "I'll make a deal with you Jake. You stay seated right there, no talking or harassing the nurses while Carlos and I chat and I'll get Carter to give you one of our laptops to play with."

Jensen looked like he wanted to bounce but smiled and mimed zipping his lips shut and then sat on his hands. Cougar finally got a look at the bandage around Jensen's shoulder and ribs. He could see that Jensen wanted to tell him he was okay but also didn't want to talk. The need for a computer stilling his hyper friend's speech and movement. O'Neill was nice enough to answer for him.

"I have one of those," O'Neill said, a finger pointing in Jensen's direction. Cougar didn't exactly understand that and let the comment go as the general filled him in on Jensen's injuries. Bullet wound in the shoulder--not a through and through, two cracked ribs, and shrapnel in his thigh.

"As for you. We had to bring up a specialist to help heal you, but if I understand Doctor Keller correctly you should be out of here by tomorrow but not cleared for duty."

Cougar was sure he misunderstood. He still wasn't sure how he could even be sitting up. He clearly remembered being shot at least three times and two of those had been in the chest. "I, how?"

"Aliens," O'Neill answered with a straight face. "We have some of their tech. We used it in conjunction with good old Earth medicine. If you really want to know more, you can ask Keller. She'd love to fill you in."

Cougar shook his head no, He fully believed that "love" translated into "talk your ear off in medical jargon" and the only one he really didn't mind rambling on was Jake. He was alive, Jake was alive, the long medical drabble wasn't really needed. "Max?" he asked instead.

"Both of them are confirmed dead," O'Neill replied. "He, they, whatever have been a pain in our asses for a while. He nearly brought one of our ships crashing to Earth. So thanks for getting rid of him."

"Now, as for the two of you. You're both dead. Officially, Sergeant Carlos Alvarez and Corporal Jacob Jensen died during a CIA operation. We've created new identities for you, but that means you really can't return to Earth. At least anytime soon. For now you are civilian contractors with the SGC and I have the perfect galaxy to send you to."

The general was interrupted when a brown-haired man with glasses came into the curtained off areas. "Jack," he said.

"Daniel."

"You're supposed to be overseeing the IOA committee."

"So, I am."

"You're late," Daniel said. "Almost an hour late."

"So, I am."

"Jack."

"Fine Daniel. Give me a minute to finish up here with our two new recruits and I already okayed your trip to Atlantis so stop with that look."

Cougar now understood O'Neill's earlier comment, but Atlantis? The city that sunk? Cougar was beginning to think maybe the meds were messing with his mind.

"There's some videos for you to watch. It'll give you a rundown on the program. Lots, and lots, of forms for you to sign. I'll even squeeze in an official tour," and O'Neill shot Jensen a look, "of the ship. I'll come back by tomorrow afternoon before you get sprung."

Cougar realized that Jensen hadn't spoken for a while and looked over at his friend. He saw Jensen grin and nod his head. "Thank you, sir."

"Jake. I will get you your computer, but behave."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"I will keep him with me," Cougar reassured the general.

"That's not as reassuring as you think it is." But O'Neill shrugged and began ushering Daniel out with him.

"That's Dr. Daniel Jackson," Jensen said. "He discovered how to operate the stargate--big ring thing that generates a wormhole they also use to travel to different planets--and talk to their first alien contact and is like a kick-ass archaeologist or something."

Cougar raised an eyebrow.

"I hacked their system a few years back. Mostly...almost hacked it. They have some very tough security protocols."

"Are we truly on a spaceship, Jake?" Cougar asked, feeling like he was in some weird dream.

"Oh yeah, man. I snuck out of here and wandered around the ship after you came out of recovery. They have some really cool weapons. They even have these little space fighter planes. Pooch would have loved those. And you can see Earth from the big window in the mess hall. We can sneak down there later if they unhook you from all the extra sensors."

"Are we prisoners?"

"Nope." Jensen grinned. "And no longer in the military either."

"Do you want to stay with these people?"

Jensen nodded his head and smiled even more. "Yeah. They tried to recruit me after the hack but the Losers, and you guys were my family. I didn't want to just disappear on you. There's an alien on this ship. Do you...do you want to go back?" Jensen asked, his smile slipping from his face.

"No, here with you is good."


End file.
